Saturday, September 4, 2010

After driving up to SF with Kat's 9 Lives and LAist's Sam Kim, we figured we'd have one quick brunch before going our separate ways in the city. Kat recommended Butler and the Chef in SOMA since it was close to where we were and it has good reviews.

The bistro is located right in front of South Park, adding to its charm.In contrast to the entrance which seemed small, the dining room extends far back. The furnitures gave it a cozy Parisian feel. We were seated in a narrow section next to the kitchen.Fresh squeezed OJ: my personal brunch staple.Kat said the eggs benedicts are popular here so I ordered eggs benedict with Niman Ranch ham (Served on toasted olive bread with house-made Hollandaise sauce and a side of baby spinach salad. $14)I really enjoyed the fatty and flavorful ham. The toasted bread was a little hard to cut easily with a knife but other than that this was a good dish.

Someone else (probably Sam Kim) ordered La Parisienne crêpe (buckwheat crêpe, egg, ham, and emmenthal. $14)I only had a bite of this but I liked the earthy flavor from the buckwheat.

Kat got the Belgian waffle with Nutella ($9)The waffle was a little soggier than I would've liked but I liked the moistness inside.

I never expected to get mignardise following a brunch at a bistro, but these chocolate truffles were delectable.While it wasn't an extraordinary brunch, Butler and the Chef is a cute place with good food. When I'm in the SOMA area again, this would certainly be on my list of brunch places to consider.